Key lever spacer and guide for stenographic machines



May 10, 1949. H. E. HooE 2,469,390

\ KEY LEVER SPACER AND GUIDE FOR- STENOGRAPHIC MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet lI Filed May lO, 1946 a5 a7 109 2, /5 Q /122 129+ :l H

May 10, 1949. H. E. HooE KEY LEVER SPACER AND GUIDE FOR STENOGRAPHIC MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May lO, 1946 May 10, 1949. H. E. HOOE 2,469,390

KEY LEVER SPACER AND GUIDE v FOR STENOGRAPHIC MACHINES Filed May lO, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

Hner E. Haw;

Lfttrmey.

May 10, 1949. H. E. HooE 2,469,390

KEY LEVER SPACER AND GUIDE FOR STENOGRAPHIC MACHINES Filed May lO, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 I N V EN TOR. @032273Z Hove May 10, 1949. H. E. HOOE 2,469,390

KEY LEVER SPACER AND GUIDE FOR STENOGRAPHIC MACHINES Filed May 1o, 194e 5 sheets-sheet 5 Zkg' I I f I r f L$1/ 112 108 121 111 12o 107 1o@ 112 1 .9, 114 v 114g 1@ 4//////////////Ml l INVENTOR. ./fun 'e r' E. Hm

Patented May 10, 1949 VKEY'LEVER SPACER AND GUIDE FOR STENOGRAPHIC `MACHINES Himter E. Hooe, Chicago, Ill. a,ssgnor\to Victor Adding Machine Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application May 10, 1946, --Scral- No. *668,872

4 Claims.

for the key levers so. as to reduce the friction incident to'actuation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a vertical `sectional view of a stenographicv machine embodying:thexinventiong, being taken substantially at. the line l-l on Fig. 2;

Fig.l 2 is a top plan View ofxthemachine with,

the coverfremoved to. reveal .portions of the operating mechanism;

FigJB is a side elevation of the'mechanism as it appears j from `the right-hand side with the 'outer casingl removed, a fragment of the machine being broken away at one end;

Fig. e is a side elevation of the mechanism as vit appears from theleft-hand side with the outer casing removed, aportion of the frame and case being rbroken away at one end;

:"Fig. 5 is a partial top-plan view of the-machine showing the vvpaper-fecd mechanism with the platen roll removed, being taken substantially as indicated at dline 5 5 on Fig. 6; "Fig 6 isa vertical sectional view of the end portion of the machine which includes the platen rollend-paper feed-roller, being taken substantially as" indicated at line 6-25 on Fig. 5;

"Iis a-detail sectional view taken as indi- 'cated at Vline 1 cnliig. 1 and showing the spacingrods-'for the key levers;

vv'.Fig. Slis a transverse vertical sectional View oi the-mechanism taken substantially as indicated at 'line 8-8-on Fig. 1l and showing the bank bar and universal -bar with ltheirvresilient cushions;

and

Fig.v 9 is adiagrammatic View of certain parts ofrthe structure of: Fig.A (ishowingV the parts in y"'diiiererns position, andtaken as a section at line S-B'on Fig.- 5.

f As illustrated herein, lthe machine embodying Vthis'invention` includes a mainframe having. side plates ilsecured'toa base l2 having resilient'feet M ofi rubber V'or vlike -inateriak VBetween the side plates IQthere isrmounted a'subframe or chassis having side members l (Fig. 2)- which support akey` leverv-pivot-shaft i8 T(Fig. 1)

Amachine -fof this type-'conventionally includes of whichrepresents -a-letter; together with akey 2 l which .Drints, an u'asterisk and a space key 22. A numeral pbar v23 :extends transverselyA acrossthe keyboard behind therea-rward row of keys-20 so that it a1-nay: :be;` depressed 5 simultaneously, nwith any ofthe keys 'of that:row'. As any keyor com- .binationoffkeys 219 is depressed, thee correspond- ,ing type bar or type1.bars 24.are' moved= against an inked ribbon x25 tomakeyanyimpression onthe paper which is fed around theaxiszof the platen roll 2`l. A clutchZB isgoperatively connectedto the keys 2li,v 2| Aand2.22- s0fthateachpactuation of the keysgrotates f thegplaten, roll. 2'1V through a limited distance;A and atggthe end of the -stloke of any foi/ the `'keys 2,9 or 2 z an impressionis made upon the paperrcorrespondine to the key orkeys which are 1 depressed. i Thismode.-oioperation is conventional Aand' substantially:standardized in machines of this character.

In the present structure, the keys 20,.2l,andv22 are'attachedto keyflevers 30 Whichare of'relatively: thin-stockldisposed withtheir broader faces in yparallel planes to form a bank-of levers fulcrumed-on shaft I 8-between side; bars I.6- ofthe chassis. jTo'provide for convenientspacing Iof the'keysthemselvesthe `outer ends of the; levers areibent. laterally to a-greater or lesswextent except at the middle portion ofthe group. The key levers'S and the'space'key'lever32 are all fulcrumed on the shaft --IB vand -at their inner-ends vthe key'levers are spaced by engagement in vertical slots333 formed in a-transverse'- frame member 34; `Forward of their fulcrums .and Vjust rear- `ward :of thebends inthe levers they are spaced Vbetween vertically disposedr guide*` rods 35, .as shown in Fig. '7.v These rods are of round stock and are mountedforrotation about their own axes having their lower ends journaled in a plate 36 rand their1upper-endsjournaled in plate 31.

The .lower A,ends 'ofthe rods are stepped-upon a :cushion-,member of-felt or like material shown att v38;;suppcrted on a 'bottom' plate 39 andthe upper and tapered ends of the rodsengage in a felt-cushion 40 disposed against the underside ofthe crossfbar 4I of-fthe chassis or subframe.

Therods 35 arespaced apart so-as to ailord mere working .clearancefor thekey levers 38),.and 32, but :the fact f that the vrods 35@ are of round cross section provides a line contact between ,each -rodand-the adjacentkey slever. l With most of the keys. because of their location laterallyy of 'theplanes in Whichfthev-levers 3!J are guided by the rods 35, they pressure uponV any key tends to twist'the portion of the lever 30 whichmovesbe- .tweenttheguiderods 3 5 so. that the actual workging;v contact. is reduced `almost to a -point atthe upper edge of the lever and to a point at the lower opposite edge thereof. It may also be noted that as the key is depressed the arcuate movement of the lever 36 about the pivot shaft I8 will cause a slight longitudinal travel of these points of contact with respect to the rods 35 which they engage.. The rods are free to rotate in response to this component of the lever movement, while their limited surface contact with the levers olers relatively slight frictional resistance to the vertical movement of the lever notwithstanding the torque therein which results from the positioning of the key (in most cases) at a substantial distance laterally of the plane in which the lever rocks. The felt cushions 38 and 46 permit the rods 35 suiiiclent freedom for rotation, but avoid the possibility of any tapping or clicking noise which might result if the ends of the rods were checked between metallic stop plates with any end play.

As seen in Fig. l, the type bars 24 are horie zontally slidable and are normally retracted from the platen 21 by springs 42 secured to an anchor plate 43 which is adjustably mounted on the side members I6 of the subframe. Each type bar 24 is pivotally -connected to a bell crank lever 44, pivoted on a rod 45 and having an arm 46 which engages the slightly curved upper edge of the rearwardly extending arm 41 of a key lever 36. Each of the levers 44 has a short arm or lug 48 which registers in the slot 49 of the cross member 34 while the arm 46 of the lever extends into the same slot 33 which serves to position the inner end of the key lever 36. Depression of the corresponding key rocks the outer end of the key lever downwardly, moving the inner end portion 41 upwardly and thus swings the bell crank 48 about its iulcrum 45 to drive the type bar 24 toward the platen 21.

The downward movement of any of the key levers 36 or 32 carries with it the universal bar 56 which is shown as an upwardly open channel member provided with a pad preferably of neoprene or other similar durable synthetic rubber-like material. The ends of the channel bar 56 are staked into universal bar levers 52 and 53 (Fig. 2), both of which are iulcrumed' on the shaft I8. The lever 53 includes a rearwardly extending arm 54 (Figs. 2 and 4) having a laterally extending portion 55 and a terminal portion 56 carried by the part 55 in offset relation to the part 54 so that the portion 54 of the arm is disposed inside the side plate I6 andthe portion 56 is positioned outside the side plate and in a plane beyond the end of the platen roll 21.

The clutch` device 28 which drives the platen roll 21 may be of conventional construction and includes an actuating member 51 mounted to oscillate about the axis of the platen roll 21. The member 51 carries a crank pin 58 serving as a pivot for one end of a, link 59 which constitutes one member of a toggle. The other member 66 of the toggle is fulcrumed on a pivot 6I secured to the side plate I6 of the frame and is in the form of a bell crank lever having a sidewardly oiset shorter arm 62 operatively connected through a link 63 with the universal bar lever arm 54.

As shown in Fig. 4, the terminal portion 56 of the lever 53 carries an adjustable plate 64 secured to the part 56 by a pivot screw 65 and this plate carries the pivot screw 66 which provides the connection with the link 63. At the opposite side of the pivot 65 the plate 64 has an arcuate slot 61 through which a clamp screw 68 extends to the frame and provided with a cushion pad body of the lever terminal 56. This permits adjustment of the plate 64 about the pivot screw 65 so as to vary the position of the clutch driving linkage for a given position of the universal bar 56. The pivot 66 by which the link 63 is attached to the lever arm 62 is adjustable in a slot 16 extending longitudinally of said lever arm for varying the stroke imparted to the clutch by a given movement oi the universal bar 56 and thus varying the amount of the paper feed.

The extent of this feeding movement is limited by engagement of a stop face 1I on the lever 68 with a pad 12 preferably of neoprene or similar material carried on a bracket 13 which is slotted at 14 for adjustment and for securement by a clamping screw 15 which extends through the slot into the side plate I6 of the frame. The return movement of the universal bar and connected linkage is eiected by a retractile spring 'I6 engaged with the lever 66 and anchored to the side plate I6 at 11; and this movement of the universal bar is limited by the bank bar or upstop 86 (Figs. 1 and 8) which is show'n as a downwardly open channel extending across the sub- 8I preferably of neoprene or similar material. The bank bar 86 is held in place by screws 82 extending downwardly into the side members I6 of the subframe or chassis with springs 83 interposed between the bar 86 and said frame members i6 to uphold the bar 86 while permitting it to be vertically adjusted as desired.

Thus, each actuation of one of the key levers 36 depresses the universal bar 56 and causes a feeding movement of the platen roll 21. The lever 32 of the space key terminates at the fulcrum I8 as indicated in dotted outline at 32a but engages the universal bar 56 in the same manner as the key levers 36 so that depression oi the space key 22 operates to feed the paper over the platen roll 21 without adding any type impression.

In addition to their reciprocating movements toward and from the platen roll 21 the type numeral bar lever 9|.

bars 24 are adapted to be shifted vertically. Some of the type bars are provided with two printing characters, the upper character being normally positioned for printing engagement with the platen 21. The type bars are slidable in a cradle which includes a cross member 84 (Fig. 1) and side arms 85 which are shown in Fig. 2 pivoted on the heads of cap screws 86 threaded in the side members I6 of the subframe. The cradle is thus adapted to be rocked upwardly for bringing the lower characters on the type bars 24 into printing position. Since in the conventional arrangement the lower characters on certain of the type bars are the numerals 1 to 9, inclusive, this shifting or rocking movement of the cradle is eiected by the depression of the numeral bar 23, which is carried at the ends of levers 96 and SI, both fulcrumed on the pivot shaft I8. 'I'he lever 9| includes a portion 92, which extends rearwardly beyond the pivot shaft I8, and a lateralli7 extending portion 63 which connects with an offset portion 64. A terminal extension is attached to the part 94 of the lever by screws 96 engaging elongated slots 91 which permit adjustment of the extension 95 in a direction to vary the effective length of the lever as may be desired. The cradle by which the type bars 24 are carried includes an arm 98 extending fromv one end of the cross member 84 and connected by a link 99 to the adjustable extension 9.5 of the Thus, by adjusting -this audaces 52,2 extension -95 the actuatlonfiof the K numeralibar .2 3%' may bevecaused' tolftfthf-tylebars -by dust" right amount to' se'eu'refa properillmpressi the numerals 1 when f1 the accompanying-key 2 meral bar 23 is limited by enagagementf'off'lugs |00 with pads |0'|I of neoprene or` like-material carried i'in bracketsl 02 whichl "are almostfdlre'cty "i under the numeral bar-.23A itself:` These' brackets* the `side `plate'sd -by clz'arnping'` screws Ult'which i permit' vertical 'adjustment' of v the Ypads' 1| 0| i Ifor i" securing the desired- 'strokefof-the-'numeralbari lever.

01 ofthis' shield-and--thenlbetweenl the" fplatfenI roll 21- and the knurled feed Irolls 1| i'wh'ichiare'f free-to rotate byffrctional-contacttvith -thepa'per f wheneverfthe' 'platen rollf--21v isturnedfi Theend' i linearityffrmf theplatenfroll.` 21.2 as.f1-thealattenl is intermittently rotated-'by the actionf'of the' .uni-1" versa1-` bar ith'roughithe 'intermediatelnkage As seenin L'Fig; 1:1, the' supply.ipack" of .-.paper are actuated.' Theedownward stroke4 fof tlieLnu-#;A1restsfupon -thebottoml30 ycfa drawer. having i: an fend wall`41 |31?? at therearof v'the-machine and .f havngnoend wall-atits forwardend. When this drawer-`r is drawn:L out to extendrearwardly inf position- (as shown in dot-dash lines' |34inFig.-

are' formed' 'with'slots' |03 fand `rare secured Sto vv-lll-to' receive-thepaper asit-feedslfroml the platen f i I To prevent the packifr'o'm being. withdrawn'bo'dily. 1 The folded strip-of paper which isto= bel'fed''15by1'suchroutwardmovement of the drawerf'a guia-ifdplatef^|32 "extends Adownwardly into the f drawer aswshownin Figs-fl and 6 so that itsfl lower-end-portion--l33is in a Aposition toY stop-vv rearward 'movement The prefolded form -of the the paper strip' is`fe'd"ove'rfthe"inclinedvporton-i`20'gpa-per stripv Acauses it'to reassurne its zigzag ar.

into --`tl'1'- drawer;v extended to lthe position indi-V cated at |31! Fig. 6, but if 'there is 'any tendency fo'rfthelpap'erf to-sagl Vinto- -a position in lwhich its of the paper' vthen-passesffupwardly'around-trie- 125; 'forward-"folded edges might accumulate within pressure finge'r |5' -isfbent away fromVV th'e lgudeli plateI |01 so vas to- 'bear- -re'silientlylfagainstf'theff under side of the'shaft-H'I fonholdng therolls' |08 fin-contact with Ithe paper; This-'pressure isrnaint'ained by'reason of the'fa'ct'thattheguide40.mally 'holdsthe plate v| 32 in its lowered position,v

is stressed between a llu'g |I9"on-tlie-curved*por-ffthe rolls |08 and the plate 21. When the plate tion' |55 of :the "-paperf guide' ands-1an anchorage at |29 on a lcross-nien'lber |2|` of -lthe vfrarnegsaide# cross member-connecting .the side plate's'"|0,as- I seen infFig. 6.3 Thelspring |8 thus-tends tolswing'4 the' guideifplate- |01? clockwise toward the @latenti-150 roll 21 and causes thel pressure nger |5` lto-holdf' the' rolls |98 `in` rin frictionalfengagementwithi the paper on the platen, with its force equally* divided between the-two rolls. This tends to inplaten.

Additiona-lguidance ofthe paper-is provided by the straightening rolls |09 which, as seenin Fig. 5, are carried by a shaft |22 having trunnions |23 at its ends rotatable and'slidable in elongated'slcts |24 formed -in'the bail arms` |25* cf the'cutter'bar I0. These farinsextendfdownwardly and are pivoted on the shaftl I 6. Afspfin-g |26 is' tensioned between a lug-#|21 'on one' oftliei length and exactly midway between straightening rolls |09, so as to transmit the force of the spring |26 equally to the two rolls |09. This insures a balanced pressure of the rolls |09 against the paper and causes it to be fed With uniform 75 the?baseftheguardplate |32 'and its lowerend |33' will? control :these folded-Lends-of the record strip "as itaccumulates -in the drawerfandvwill `v keep'theimprintedportion, indicatedvat-A2 in 1 separated from the -fsupply pack' A.

lguard plate 32 is pivotally' supported I by brackets |36 may be integral portions or'the` guard :plate *|325 'onset from the main portion of thewplatef as. seen in; Fig.t 5.- A spring-1381,

asl-'shown in full lines in Fig. 6, but permits it toi befraisedf'temporarily -to the Vposition showninY-dot-daslilines at |32a when the paper strip is being threaded over-the' guide|01 "and betweenl32-slthus'fraised, a portion |3=eof each bracket |25so-that these arms lare cammed readwardly,

ina direction to separate the straightening 'rolls' of? arms-IZSLand 1 at this position the parts 136e* Sure Straight, @Ven feeding 0f the papel' over the fare swung past center with'respec't to the pivots thefpIate--I'IBZl-inupraisediposition; leaving-both han-dslree rio'rfadjusting the paper.

Operation Toprepa-re the machine'lor `usda Vsupply"pack andftheifend .ofthe paper' strip :is entered over upper 'sidesthreofnand 'thisafr'ee end isi then fe'd under the straightening rolls |09 so as to project as shown at A1 in Fig. 6. The guard plate |32 is returned to normal position by its spring |38 and the drawer may be pulled out to the full extent'rearwardly of the machine to receive the imprinted 'record strip as it accumulates.

The phonetic recording of dictation or other speech is accomplished by depressing the keys in groups to imprint the desired letters on the paper strip. The depression of a key 20 actuates its lever causing the rounded end portion 41 of the lever to rock one of the bell crank levers 44 and advance one of the type bars 24 toward the platen 21. The depression of any of the key levers 30 also actuates the universal bar which rocks the lever 53 (see Fig. 4) thereby actuating the clutch 28 whi-ch feeds the platen roll in step-by-step movement to advance the paper. The arm 56 of the lever 53 acts through the link 63 and lever arm 62 to rock the lever arm thereby straightening the toggle composed of the arm 60 and the link 59, and causing the link 59 to advance the crank pin 58 on the driving member 51 of the clutch device. This paper feeding movement is completed just before an impression is made on the paper by the advancement of one or more of the type bars 24.

If it is desired to imprint numerals instead of letters on the paper, the lingers are placed on the keys so as to extend over the numeral bar 23 and depress it simultaneously with one or more of the keys 20. The numeral bar lever 9| to which the bar 23 is attached is thus rocked about the pivot shaft i8 so that the link 99, attached to the extension of this lever, lifts the cradle 84 which shifts all the type bars 24 to their upper positions and causes the numeral type thereon to make impressions against the platen when the type bars are advanced by actuation of the keys 20. A

-As already pointed out, the present construction involves certain advantages. The provision of round guide rods for the key levers reduces friction substantially as compared with the use of flat guide surfaces, and the fact that the round rods are also rotatable insures a further reduction in the friction since the rods can turn in response to the arcuate movements of the levers.

The use of neoprene pads in the upstop or bank bar and in the universal bar insures durability as well as resiliency and quietness of operation at these points.

The equalized pressure on the feed rolls |08 and on the straightening rolls |09, by means of pressure members acting midway betweeny each pair of rolls, secures even pressure on the paper so that it always advances in a straight path as the platen roll is turned.

The clutch driving mechanism is simple and positive in operation and can be readily adjusted by shifting the pivot screws 68 and 69, as already described. The feeding movement is limited by a neoprene stop to insure quiet action of this portion of the mechanism.

The shifting of the type bars by the numeral bar and its connected lever may also be accurately adjusted by means of the slotted extension 95 so as to bring the type bars to the desired printing position,

The paper guard |32 serves the double purpose of retaining the supply pack A Within the base of the machine and guiding the accumulating record into proper position in the extended drawer.

While there is shown and described herein cerlwithin the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A key lever spacer and guide for a stenographic lmachine having a plurality of pivotally secured key levers comprising a series of parallelly Varranged rollers spaced from each other for slidably receiving a single key lever between each pair ofl adjacent rollers, lixed means journaling said rollers in spaced relation, and separate means limiting axial movement of said rollers to maintain the same engaged in said fixed means.

2. A key lever spacer and guide for a stenographic machine having a. plurality of pivotally secured key levers comprising a series of parallelly arranged rollers spaced from each other for slidably receiving a single key lever between each pair of adjacent rollers, xed means journaling said rollers in spaced relation, and separate means limiting axial movement of said rollers to maintain the same engaged in sai-d fixed means, including cushioning buffers for damping vibration and sound.

3. A key lever spacer and guide for a stenographic machine having a plurality of pivotallyv secured key levers comprising a series of parallelly arranged vertical rollers spaced from each other for slidably receiving a single key lever between each pair of adjacent rollers, means journaling said rollers in spaced relation adjacent the opposite ends thereof, means forming an abutment v for the lower ends of said rollers for rotatably supporting the same, and separate means forming an abutment for the upper ends of said rollers for preventingaxial movement thereof.

4. A key lever spacer and guide for a steno- ,graphic machine having a plurality of pivotally secured key levers comprising a series of parallelly arranged vertical rollers spaced from each other for slidably receiving a single key lever between each pair of adjacent rollers, means journaling :said rollers in spaced relation adjacent the opposite ends thereof, means forming an abutment for the lower ends of said rollers for rotatably supporting the same, separate means forming an abutment for the upper ends of said rollers for -preventing axial movement thereof, and cushioning buffers adapted to be engaged by the opposite ends of said rollers for damping vibration and sound.

HUNTER E. HOOE.

REFERENCES CITED The followingvreferences are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

